The bane of Carlos Carrasco's existence: Joey Butler alone breaks up perfect game and no-hitter
Butler was the bane of Carrasco's existence Wednesday
With his ninth walk and 54th hit of the season, Joey Butler ended Carlos Carrasco's shot at history Wednesday night.
Before the 2015 season, Butler had four hits -- total -- in MLB. Through 48 games with the Rays this season, he'd amassed 53. And during Wednesday's Indians-Rays matchup, he became the second person this year to break up a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning.
With two outs and two strikes in the ninth, Butler thwacked Carrasco's 124th pitch of the game just over the outstretched glove of Jason Kipnis, recording the Rays' first hit of the game.
He joined the Marlins' Justin Bour in breaking up a no-hitter after 8 2/3 innings this season (not to mention Jose Tabata, who broke up Max Scherzer's perfect game as the 27th batter). Both Butler and Bour enter the exclusive club of no-hitter/perfect game dream crushers that includes Jason Donald, Marwin Gonzalez, Shannon Stewart, Carl Everett and others.
And, two innings before Butler's single, he walked in the seventh inning as the 20th batter of the game and brought Carrasco's perfection to an end.
So, yeah. Who knows what would've happened if Butler hadn't been in the Rays' lineup on Wednesday night?